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Noisy IS which takes a second or two to activate, heavy, not weather proofed

My second Sigma 70-200 F/2.8 and now with OS (Image Stabilized).

Sigma made some really important and necessary improvements. I loved the previous version but there were some issues with micro contrast and slight CA. But it was such a tremendous value.

When Sigma first announced this, it was only a couple of hundred dollars less than the brand name ones, but when it finally hit the stores the price has now dropped to almost a thousand less. Regardless, Sigma's oddball marketing team might be off their rockers, the engineering team were on que to delivering a nice lens in this version. The new coatings pay off. I was comparing samples from both my Canon 70-200 F/2.8 and this, and I could barely see a difference. When I added the Canon 2X Extender Mark III (which works great with it by the way), I noticed a slight difference between the Canon one and a slight favour goes to the Sigma.

The OS is finally a nice touch to this long needed version. Hand held at 1/80 of a second really gives pleasing results which finally makes this a great lens to use in low light events.

The new paint finish is a nice change from the course finish of the last generation, however I suspect it will be a bit of a finger oil magnet, but so are most black finished lenses.

The zoom ring is going to take some time to get used to being in reverse of how I usually expect it, But I do appreciate the big rubberized ring overall.

Included with this lens is a nice nylon padded pouch (much nicer than the Canon one), lens hood, and lens hood extender (for APS-C cameras). The extender is really nicely built, but it's a touch loose in my opinion.

Back to the weight of this lens. It's heavy, so it's actually a good thing it has the OS in it, but get ready to work out the arms. However it is slightly lighter than all the others, this particular design lends to a lot of complex lens formulas. The cost of image quality comes weight.

I'm disappointed in one aspect in the build quality and that's the lack of weather sealing. I'm not sure I understand in this day and age why pro quality lenses at this level lack that feature. It should be standard to have at least minimal seals against ambient moisture and dust. I also don't understand why Sigma doesn't include a focus limiter. For some this might be a big deal, especially if you're shooting sports or birds in flight. These are two things that for some might find the branded ones are worth the extra $1000. For me it isn't a deal breaker, and I'm pleased with what this lens has to offer.

Overall, I do think this is a winner of a lens, and hopefully it will drive the prices of the competitors down, or else leave the rest of them in it's wake. Despite some minor features missing, the value this lens offers with the features and quality is well worth it.